Coventry's Very Light Rail not due for years - councillor

Councillor Jim O'Boyle said Very Light Rail was more affordable than other transport systems

A Very Light Rail (VLR) passenger service in Coventry is not expected to be up and running until at least 2026, a councillor said.

Jim O'Boyle said "good progress" had been made on testing the transport system.

The government has been funding the VLR project from a pot of money worth £72m in total.

The battery-powered, zero-emission vehicle had its first trial run on a test track in Dudley last year.

The next step is to test the vehicle on a demonstrator track which Coventry City Council plans to build in the city centre later this year.

With the project in a research and development phase, the aim of the demonstrator is to prove the system works in practice to unlock more government funding.

Under its initial plans, the council was aiming to build the first passenger route and put vehicles on the city's streets by 2025.

But there has been a delay in getting government funding for the project which is being financed through money awarded to the West Midlands Combined Authority.

When asked when passengers could be using a VLR vehicle in the city centre, Mr O'Boyle told the BBC: "I think we're talking 26-27.

"That's the date we're looking at in terms of having a first route up and running."

Mr O'Boyle said the project's time frame was "dependant, of course, on the funding coming forward".

"But I believe in the vehicle," he added.

The city council submitted a planning application for the VLR demonstrator from Warwick Road to Millennium Place

The councillor spoke after he took a ride on the VLR vehicle at the National Innovation Centre in Dudley.

Engineers are using a track at the centre to test the vehicle, which can reach a top speed of about 40mph (64kph) and carry about 50 passengers.

In Coventry, the council hopes its VLR can be a faster and cheaper alternative to traditional tram systems and the authority first put forward its plan in 2018.

The project is made up of a battery-powered vehicle and an ultra-thin track, designed to be less intrusive and cheaper than conventional tram systems.

If it gets planning permission, the demonstrator track will stretch 1.5km (0.93 miles) from Warwick Road by the train station to Millennium Place next to the city's bus station.